ANNALONG PRIMARY SCHOOL31 Kilkeel Road

AnnalongCo DownBT34 4TH

Telephone: 028 437 68340 Fax: 028 437 68867E-mail: agoucher539@c2kni.net

Principal: Mr A Goucher B.Ed. Dip. SE Vice-Principal: Mrs G Stevenson B.Ed. (Hons) MA

Governors’ Report 2009– 2010

Dear Parent/Guardian,

I am pleased to have this opportunity to present the Governors’ Report on Annalong Primary School for the 2009 – 2010 school-year.

The report details issues of importance relating to the school during the year and will also be available on the school website.

Yours faithfully,

Mr. A. GoucherSecretary to the Board of Governors

Board of Governors 2009 – 2013

Sector/Type: Controlled Primary – 10 members

ChairmanRev. S.A. Finlay

SecretaryMr A. Goucher

Transferor (Trustee) Representatives (4)Rev. S.A. FinlayRev. W. Press

Mrs E. HillMr R. Edwards

SELB Representatives (2)Mr A. Stevenson

Mr W. Burns

Parent Representatives (2)Mrs W. HannaMrs K. Graham

Teacher RepresentativeMrs D. Morris

PrincipalMr A. Goucher (non-voting Member)

What are their main responsibilities?

The Governors are ultimately responsible for the overall management of the school. They are required to meet a minimum of three times each year but in practice normally meet more often than this.

Some of their duties include:

The oversight of the curriculum The control of the budget The provision of information to parents The selection of staff The maintenance of the premises (shared with SELB) The Admissions Policy Fostering links with the local community and pursuing the objectives of mutual

understanding.

Staffing Compliment 2009 – 2010

Teaching Staff:

Mrs. G. Stevenson P.1 Vice-Principal – Music Co-ordinator

Mrs K. McKibbin P.2 World Around Us Co-ordinator

Mrs. D. Morris P.3 Numeracy Co-ordinator, SENCo & Teacher -Tutor

Mrs. J. Greenaway P.4 Literacy & PE Co-ordinator

Mrs. L. Freel P.5/6 I.C.T. Co-ordinator

Mrs. R. Cunningham Principal Release

Mr. A. Goucher P.6/7 Principal – Science Co-ordinator

Ancillary Staff:

Mrs D. Cunningham Secretary

Mrs L.A. Horner Caretaker

Mrs A. Russell/Miss K. Beck Classroom Assistant (P1) Miss N. McCullough Classroom Assistant (P2)

Mrs M. Ochiltree Senior Supervisory Assistant

Mrs E.Chambers Supervisory Assistant

Mrs J. Haugh Supervisory Assistant

Mrs C. Mills School Crossing Patrol

Calendar of Events 2009 – 2010 Autumn Term

August: Staff Preparation Days September: New NI Curriculum introduced, Primaries 3, 4 & 7. Extended School activities resume

Leisure Centre – Swim P.5/6 Music Tuition resumes

Eco-School Action Team meets P6 Sharing Education Programme (SEP) resumes Friends’ Group AGM

October: InCAS online assessments. Primary 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 Schools Environmental Calendar Competition Tollymore FP Visits

Harvest assembly – MacMillan Cancer Care

November: Annual Parent Interviews Governors’ Annual Report issued Eco-School Action Team meets Coffee, Cakes & Craft – Friends’ Group

Reading workshop, (Linguistic Phonics), & Parent Governor election. Shimna College Open Day – P.7.

December: Annual Carol Service – Kilhorne Parish ChurchChristmas Panto – Aladdin in 3DMovie & Munch to include Santa’s Grotto (Friends’ Group)

Spring Term

January: P.7 Day – Kilkeel HS Board of Governors Reconstituted ICT Accreditation launched Boys Soccer Team runners-up in small schools competition Extended School activities resume

February: School Book Fair School garden re-launch Friends’ Group, “Break the Rules Day.”

March: Girls’ Hockey team win Mid-Ulster Hockey Tournament Pupils help set world record on World Maths Day School Photographer World Book Day “Book Buddies”

ASDA bag pack. Friends’ Group “Cash for Clobber,” recycling bin installed Easter Assembly

April: Consultation on Whole School Development Plan 2009 – 2012 VE Day Street Party (P5/6) Cycling Proficiency begins Extended School activities resume

Summer Term

May: Annual Class Tests End of Key Stage Assessment (P4 & P7) Soccer Tournament June: “Mary Poppins,” musical ICT Accreditation certificates awarded Pupil Profiles issued. All classes. Sports Day Zoo Trip End of year disco

School Liaison

The school values the help & support of the Friends of Annalong Primary School and the many volunteers who do so much to not only raise funds but also help in many practical ways. This year the Group hosted another successful morning of Coffee, Cakes & Crafts. An ASDA bag pack was also held.

The musical, “Mary Poppins,” succeeded in bringing together the children, staff and wider school community to produce memorable performances that showcased the many talents of the children.

The children are to be congratulated on their performances. This was a wonderful event of which the school is very proud. Particular thanks are due to Producer, Mrs Greenaway & Musical Director, Mrs Stevenson.

Organisation, Development and Administration

The 2009 – 10 school year is the first year of the current 3 Year Whole School Development Plan, (available to view on our website). The views of staff, pupils, governors and parents were sought in preparation for the current Plan. The Plan addresses key aspects of the school’s development proposals during the period and is subject to annual review.

The 2009 – 10 School Year Development Planner sets out issues for development in greater detail on a termly basis.

Premises

The school works closely with the SELB to ensure that the buildings & grounds are maintained to a high standard. To that end, toilets in the “Technical building,” were completely refurbished during the Autumn Term.

Markings were also added to the playground following its recent resurfacing.

The Eco-school Action Team identified the need to redevelop the school garden. With that in mind, the team was successful in applying for funding through Extended Schools. Phase 1 of the redevelopment included putting in new paths, a gate and planters for flowers and vegetables.

With help from The Friends of Annalong Primary School another interactive whiteboard has been installed in primary 2. This enables PC software, educational websites and DVDs to be played to a class and used interactively.

REVIEW OF THE 2009 – 2010 SCHOOL YEAR

Staffing

Following Mrs Teggarty’s retirement, Mrs Ruth Cunningham joined the staff of Annalong Primary School as principal release in September.

Unfortunately Mrs Allison Russell stepped down from her role as a Foundation Stage (P1) Classroom Assistant. We are grateful to her for her commitment to the children and school. To mark the occasion, a presentation was made at the annual Final Assembly.

Classroom Assistant, Claire McBride, left to take up a post elsewhere. She was replaced by Mrs Janette Nicholls.

Curriculum

The New Northern Ireland Curriculum was introduced for Primaries 3, 4 & 7. The new curriculum is now in place throughout the school.

The objectives of the New Curriculum are as follows:

To develop the young person as an individual.

To develop the young person as a contributor to society &

To develop the young person as a contributor to the economy & environment.

A programme of Linguistic Phonics was introduced throughout the school for the first time. A workshop for parents was organised in support of the Linguistics Phonic programme. This proved to be a very successful event.

The spelling programme throughout the school was also replaced with a programme that emphasises Linguistic Phonics.

The World Around Us Area of Learning was identified as a focus for review and development. Staff devised and implemented new topics throughout the school. These will be subject to future review.

Pupils in Primaries 4 & 7 took part in the ICT Accreditation scheme for the first time this year. All pupils were successful in achieving a Level of Attainment as a result of their hard work. The scheme was overseen by Mrs Freel.

The primary education phases have been reorganised to reflect the requirements of the New NI Curriculum as follows:

Foundation Stage. Primaries 1 & 2.

Key Stage 1. Primaries 3 & 4.

Key Stage 2. Primaries 5, 6 & 7.

School Sports

In March, the girls’ hockey team took part in the Mid-Ulster Hockey Championships. The girls won their matches convincingly and didn’t concede a single goal. They returned to school as Mid-Ulster Champions! Congratulations to the girls & coach, Mrs Greenaway.

The boys’ Soccer team were also runners-up in the small-schools tournament in January. Again, congratulations to the boys and their coach, Mrs Greenaway.

Extended School Activities

Annalong Primary School was granted Extended School Status in April of 2006. The aim of the programme is to extend the range of activities and experiences offered to pupils and the wider community before and after school.

The SELB also approved a plan to redevelop the school garden, which is seen as a long term project, given the many ideas that have been suggested.

The school is also part of an Extended Schools cluster with St. Colman’s & St. Mary’s Primary Schools. We are grateful St. Colman’s PS & Mr White in particular, for overseeing a programme of activities that included an art project and the continuation of the speech & language therapy support in all three schools. Thank you to everyone involved with the programme.

Eco-Schools

The Eco-schools Action Team is now in its third year. The Action Team has turned its focus towards the school garden, (see above). Plans included a competition to encourage ideas as part of a redesign of the garden. Many excellent ideas were put forward by the children and some will find their way into the garden as a result.

The Team aims to obtain an Eco-Schools Green Flag as a result of its efforts.

InCAS Assessment & Annual Reports

Assessment of pupil progress is in place for children from primaries 3 to 7. On-line assessments (InCAS) provide a detailed breakdown of pupil attainment and are an invaluable diagnostic tool.

In addition, Progress in Maths & English assessments were also introduced for children from Primaries 3 to 7.

Annual Reports detailing a child’s progress in relation to Cross-curricular skills & Areas of Learning were issued to all children for the first time.

The school continued to award pupils in Primaries 4 & 7 Levels of Attainment in both Literacy & Numeracy as follows:

Key Stage 1 (P4) level 2 or above .

Subject Annalong Primary School

Northern Ireland Average

English – Boys 75% 92%English – Girls 100% 96%Maths – Boys 87.5% 93%Maths – Girls 100% 96%

Key Stage 2 (P7) level 4 or above.

Subject Annalong Primary School

Northern Ireland Average

English – Boys 100% 76%English – Girls 100% 85%Maths – Boys 80% 80%Maths - Girls 100% 83%

The results tables, (above), clearly reflect the tremendous achievements of the children as they progress through the school. We are grateful to the staff of Annalong Primary School for their dedication and hard work. We also want to acknowledge the help and support of parents/guardians as partners in their children’s education.

To meet the requirements of the NI Curriculum, annual Interviews were held in November 2009. The outcomes of online assessments (InCAS), taken by pupils from Primary 3 to 7 were reported to parents at these interviews.

In June all pupils received an Annual Report using a new format reflecting the requirements of the new curriculum and common to all Northern Ireland schools.

Individual Educational Plans are prepared for pupils needing a little extra help. Parents are invited to meet with the class teacher on a termly basis.

The annual pupil attendance rate was 96%

SCHOOL FUND

April 2009 - March 2010

Income ExpenditureSurplus 2008/9 +£5,778.34

Killowen £1,754.50 Killowen £3000.50Friends’ Group £2,955.63 Data Protection £35.00

Swim £450.00 Climbing frame £1,000.00Panto £1440.50 Classic Coaches £200.00

Textile Recycling £381.35 Pantomime £1254.00W5 £360.00 Zoo visit £246.15

Opus Digital £649.55 Positive Press £52.98Zoo £400.00 P5, 6 & 7 Swim £644.50

Music Tuition £570.00 Friends Group - Whiteboard

£2,300.00

Mini’s Music £206.50 W5 £261.90Museum visit £210.00 Fleeces & t-shirts £485.60

Christmas Lunch £150.00 Mini’s Music £240.00Northern Bank account £338.91 Petty cash £175.90

Teddy Bears’ Picnic £63.00 Music Express £21.19Uniforms £70.40 Bookfair float £20.00Bookfair £1.30 Teddy Bears’ Picnic £63.00

Community Ass’n £10.00 Gold Rose £98.17PE storage £43.00

School Badge prizes £50.00 Office furniture £49.00Intuitive Media £72.45

Small Schools soccer £40.00IFA fee £10.00

Face painting/entertainer £460.00Nativity costumes £156.72

50th Anniversary Craft £161.78GB refund £261.25

ADF Partytime £70.0050th Anniversary Disco £100.00

Catering £46.00Bouncy Castle £50.00

Book banding manual £23.75Anniversary photos £20.00

Stamps £20.00Nursery resources -

IKEA£133.14

Cookie Jar £125.00Nursery resources £65.33Garden planters £75.00Super Gridclub £137.47

Cool Seas Roadshow £75.00KS2 Atlases £180.00Dishwasher £349.00

Vacuum cleaner £189.90JB Signs £246.79Bookfair £1.30

Access ramp £172.62Photography £40.25Test Papers £76.93

Christmas decorations £176.00Pop-up banners £184.00

Hockey fee £15.00Mini-hockey fee £12.00

Christmas meal deposit £150.00SELB AV £45.00

ICT Accreditation £40.00Athletic Certificate £1.50

Total + £15,789.98 Total - £14,224.07 Balance/Carry over: + £1,565.91